Conserving Europe's Wildlife. Law and Policy of the Natura 2000 Network of Protected Areas Jackson, A. L. R. 2018. Routledge, New York, NY, U.S.A. 312 pp. £110.00 (hardcover). ISBN 978-1-138-20365-5.

Andrew Jackson, assistant professor in environmental law in Dublin, Ireland, provides a behind-the-scenes view of the history and making of the EU Birds Directive and Habitats Directive. These conservation directives are unique in many respects. In spite of the complex drafting process, the phrasing of the directives remains surprisingly simple and clear, they encompass many key concepts of successful conservation policies, and result from a multinational, multipartisan process that has been anything but streamlined. The book covers only the parts of the legislation related to site protection—mainly Article 6 of the Habitats Directive and its revisions during the drafting process. The author frames the book in political theory (first and last chapters), although the usefulness of this framing remains unclear. In the end, the success of the directives depended on the right people in the right places at the right time and on a continuity of key players working for or linked to the relevant EU institutions and conservation NGOs. The final chapter raises important questions on conservation implementation within the EU that merit a more detailed follow-up. The book will be useful to those at least somewhat familiar with EU policies, structures, and conservation approaches. A glossary describing functions and tasks of the key institutions mentioned, possibly aided by an organizational map of the administrative and policy structures would have been a useful addition.

What is a Bird? An Exploration of Anatomy, Physiology, Behaviour and Ecology. Williams, T. D., editor. 2020. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, U.S.A. 368 pp. US$35.00 (hardcover). ISBN 978-0-691-20016-3.

According to the back cover, this is “a large-format, beautifully illustrated look at the natural history of birds”—in other words, it possibly aspires to be a coffee table book with high-level text. Unfortunately, it does not start well. In the editor's preface, the question is posed, illustrated with a photo: “How do Red Knots (Calidris canutus) manage to fly nonstop from Alaska to New Zealand?” Actually, they do not—this remarkable feat is made by another species, the Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica). Even though the correct information appears on page 43 with a photo (taken at Miranda, the New Zealand location where the first of these record-breaking migrants was fitted with a transmitter and subsequently recaptured), what a pity to start with a blunder. I did not go through the book with a fine comb, but having conflicting data on flight altitude records just opposite each other (p. 168 vs. p.169) is also embarrassing in this otherwise well-designed book. All the authors are from North America—it would do credit to the publisher to consider a more international circle of authors for such books. The photos are of a very high standard; the coffee-table mentality shows through only occasionally (bigger-than-necessary photos to fill a page or even two). Many drawings are very informative. Reasonably priced, indeed beautifully produced, and mostly well written, the book will attract nonbirders to the wonderful world of birds.

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Ground Truth: a Guide to Tracking Climate Change at Home. Hineline, M. L. 2018. Chicago University Press, Chicago, IL, U.S.A. 240 pp. US$20.00 (paperback). ISBN 9780226348131.

This book takes one on a surprising, introspective journey by engaging readers with direct questions about their experience with nature and the seasons. It conveys the importance of making phenological observations as it allows one to become “a native” to one's own dooryard and to experience the changes that occur therein. Keeping track of these observations in a journal is a way to acknowledge and accept the fact that the climate is changing. The book begins by discussing the importance of having a baseline of phenological observations against which changes can be tracked, hence the title Subsequent sections broadly instruct the reader on how to keep a phenology journal and how to develop an eye for important details and provide a brief overview of the groups of organisms for which phenological observations are worthwhile and feasible. It ends with a reflection on anthropocentric climate change and its implications. The book is a very enjoyable read. The author makes important scientific concepts accessible to nonscientists without oversimplifying them while avoiding a textbook feel. The text is unfortunately focused on North America. Nevertheless, the examples and references are well clarified. Overall, I would recommend the book to anyone who is eager to learn to appreciate and be more engaged with nature and possibly to contribute to climate-change mitigation by providing potentially important data for research purposes in the future.

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Urban Ecology. Its Nature and Challenges. Barbosa, P., editor 2020. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, U.K. x+236 pp. £85.00 (hardcover). ISBN 978-1-78924-260-7.

Urban ecology has become an intensively studied topic: the catalog of a natural history bookshop brings up 74 books in response to the search term urban ecology. So, where does this book fit? The title is general, but the 13, mostly shortish chapters seem an eclectic collection of various topics, from the green cities movement to light pollution, the role of citizen science, and the composition of urban forests. Three chapters deal with arthropods, but those are rather limited in scope. For example, there is no reference to the Globenet Project, one of the few international urban ecology projects that applies a standardized sampling protocol. Although not evident from its title, overall the book is biased, by authorship (overwhelmingly from the United States) and by the selection of summarized studies (again, overwhelmingly from the United States). Consequently, it is biased in its conclusions, which may be relevant to North America but not elsewhere. It is puzzling why a U.K.-based publisher consented to such a narrow approach to a globally important topic. Perhaps the U.S. market is big enough for such a book? At the price, this is doubtful.

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Saving Endangered Species. Lessons in Wildlife Conservation from Indianapolis Prize Winners. Shumaker, R. W., editor. 2020. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD, U.S.A. xiv+333 pp. US$34.95 (hardcover). ISBN 978-1-4214-3956-3.

The authors of this edited volume—and what a star-studded group they are—were (probably) asked to write about their early life, the motivation that started them on the route of saving endangered species (of iconic status), and their path of triumphs and tribulations. They all dedicated their lives to protect charismatic species, sometimes in remote locations, from the lemurs of Madagascar to rare ungulates in Mongolia and cranes (the flying kind) all over the world, and frequently spent long periods under harsh conditions. Although all of them have done a lot to protect biodiversity, some I would rather admire from afar and with others, I would love to go into the field. You see, again and again, the enthusiastic young naturalist turning to fundraiser, and some of the authors focused on this so much that they wrote, in reality, for their (rich) funders. The reader does not always seem important. Alas, the overall volume is biased by the choice of species (the big, charismatic kind), by the nationality of the authors (mostly from the United States), and an overall attitude that U.S. money will save the world's biodiversity. If these detriments had been noticed, contemplated, and addressed, this could have been a wonderfully inspirational book for today's youth, anguished about the future of nature. In spite of the above quibbles, this is an interesting volume, with fascinating, sometimes almost confessionary narratives.

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Vulture. The Private Life of an Unloved Bird. Fallon, K. 2020. Brandeis University Press, Waltham, MA, U.S.A. 232 pp. US$24.95 (paperback). ISBN 978-1-68458-033-0.

Turkey Vultures (Cathartes aura) are one of the best studied vultures in the world. Thus, the author presents them as “spokesbirds” for vultures, the majority of which are threatened, and a number of them critically so. By following the life cycle of Turkey Vultures, the volume beautifully combines biological knowledge and cultural and historical aspects of vultures, stressing that vultures transform death into life all over the world. Ecosystem services provided by vultures are nicely and convincingly emphasized. Although the volume contains illustrative photos related to some of the important messages, there could have been more informative visualization and summaries of the textual information. The book starts with a general introduction to vultures by reviewing a rich selection of ecological, evolutionary, and conservation studies. Apart from profound ecological and evolutionary discussions, the work provides colorful insight into the cultural-historical evaluation of the important roles of vultures in ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, and Hindi cultures. Subsequent chapters highlight vulture health and rehabilitation, the potential roles of vultures in the food web during the Pleistocene, as well as the rescue and conservation ecology of the Californian Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). A concluding chapter provides conservation implications recommending changes in our purchase and travel strategies, which are important not only for vulture conservation, but also for a broad range of raptors worldwide. This enthusiastic volume nicely proves that Turkey Vultures are spokesbirds for vultures and indicates new avenues for raptor studies in a rapidly changing world. This book should be on the shelves of ecologists, ornithologists, and conservationists.

保护欧洲的野生动物。自然 2000 保护区网络的法律和政策杰克逊，ALR 2018。Routledge，纽约，纽约，美国 312 页。110.00 英镑（精装）。ISBN 978-1-138-20365-5。

爱尔兰都柏林环境法助理教授安德鲁杰克逊提供了欧盟鸟类指令和栖息地指令的历史和制定的幕后观点。这些保护指令在许多方面都是独一无二的。尽管起草过程复杂，但指令的措辞仍然出奇地简单明了，它们包含了成功保护政策的许多关键概念，并且是多国、多党派进程的结果，但没有任何简化。该书仅涵盖了与遗址保护相关的立法部分——主要是《栖息地指令》第 6 条及其在起草过程中的修订。作者以政治理论（第一章和最后一章）来构建本书的框架，尽管这种框架的用处尚不清楚。到底，指令的成功取决于正确的人选，正确的时间，正确的时间以及在相关欧盟机构和自然保护非政府组织中工作或与之相关的关键参与者的连续性。最后一章提出了关于欧盟内部保护实施的重要问题，值得进行更详细的跟进。这本书对那些至少熟悉欧盟政策、结构和保护方法的人很有用。描述所提到的主要机构的职能和任务的词汇表，可能辅以行政和政策结构的组织图，将是一个有用的补充。最后一章提出了关于欧盟内部保护实施的重要问题，值得进行更详细的跟进。这本书对那些至少熟悉欧盟政策、结构和保护方法的人很有用。描述所提到的主要机构的职能和任务的词汇表，可能辅以行政和政策结构的组织图，将是一个有用的补充。最后一章提出了关于欧盟内部保护实施的重要问题，值得进行更详细的跟进。这本书对那些至少熟悉欧盟政策、结构和保护方法的人很有用。描述所提到的主要机构的职能和任务的词汇表，可能辅以行政和政策结构的组织图，将是一个有用的补充。

什么是鸟？解剖学、生理学、行为学和生态学的探索。威廉姆斯，TD，编辑。2020. 普林斯顿大学出版社，美国新泽西州普林斯顿，368 页，35.00 美元（精装）。ISBN 978-0-691-20016-3。

根据封底，这是“对鸟类自然历史的大幅面、精美插图的观察”——换句话说，它可能渴望成为一本带有高级文本的咖啡桌书。不幸的是，它开始并不顺利。在编辑的序言中，提出了一个问题，并附有一张照片：“红结（Calidris canutus）如何设法从阿拉斯加直飞新西兰？” 事实上，他们没有——这一非凡的壮举是由另一种物种——斑尾鹱（Limosa lapponica）。即使正确的信息出现在第 43 页并附有照片（在米兰达拍摄，新西兰的第一个破纪录的移民在那里安装了发射器并随后被重新捕获），但从一个错误开始还是很遗憾的。我没有仔细阅读这本书，但是在这本设计良好的书中，飞行高度记录的数据相互矛盾（第 168 页与第 169 页）也令人尴尬。所有的作者都来自北美——考虑到这些书的作者圈子更加国际化，这对出版商来说是值得称赞的。这些照片的标准非常高；咖啡桌的心态只是偶尔表现出来（比需要的大照片填满一页甚至两页）。许多图纸非常有用。价格合理，确实制作精美，

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基本事实：在家中跟踪气候变化的指南。Hineline, ML 2018。芝加哥大学出版社，芝加哥，伊利诺伊州，美国 240 页。20.00 美元（平装本）。ISBN 9780226348131。

本书通过向读者提出有关他们对自然和季节的体验的直接问题，开启了一段令人惊讶的内省之旅。它传达了进行物候观察的重要性，因为它可以让人们成为自己家门口的“本地人”并体验其中发生的变化。在期刊中记录这些观察结果是承认和接受气候正在变化这一事实的一种方式。这本书首先讨论了拥有物候观察基线的重要性，根据它可以跟踪变化，因此标题后续部分广泛指导读者如何保持物候学期刊以及如何培养对重要细节的关注，并提供一个简短的物候观察值得和可行的生物群的概述。它以对以人类为中心的气候变化及其影响的反思结束。这本书读起来非常愉快。作者使非科学家可以理解重要的科学概念，而不会过度简化它们，同时避免教科书的感觉。不幸的是，该文本侧重于北美。尽管如此，示例和参考资料都得到了很好的澄清。总的来说，我会向那些渴望学会欣赏和更多地参与自然并可能通过为未来的研究目的提供潜在重要数据来为减缓气候变化做出贡献的人推荐这本书。不幸的是，该文本侧重于北美。尽管如此，示例和参考资料都得到了很好的澄清。总的来说，我会向那些渴望学会欣赏和更多地参与自然并可能通过为未来的研究目的提供潜在重要数据来为减缓气候变化做出贡献的人推荐这本书。不幸的是，该文本侧重于北美。尽管如此，示例和参考资料都得到了很好的澄清。总体而言，我将本书推荐给那些渴望学习欣赏自然并与自然更加互动，并可能通过为将来的研究提供潜在的重要数据而为缓解气候变化做出贡献的人。

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城市生态学。它的性质和挑战。Barbosa, P.，2020 年编辑。CABI Publishing，英国沃灵福德 x+236 页。85.00 英镑（精装）。ISBN 978-1-78924-260-7。

城市生态已成为一个深入研究的话题：自然历史书店的目录根据搜索词城市生态出现了74本书. 那么，这本书适合在哪里呢？标题很一般，但 13 章大部分是简短的章节，似乎是各种主题的折衷集合，从绿色城市运动到光污染、公民科学的作用以及城市森林的构成。三章涉及节肢动物，但范围相当有限。例如，没有提到 Globenet 项目，这是为数不多的应用标准化采样协议的国际城市生态项目之一。虽然从书名上看不出来，但总体而言，这本书在作者身份（绝大多数来自美国）和总结性研究的选择（同样，绝大多数来自美国）方面存在偏见。因此，它的结论是有偏见的，这可能与北美有关，但与其他地方无关。令人费解的是为什么英国 出版商同意对全球重要主题采用如此狭义的方法。或许美国市场足够大，可以买这样一本书？在价格上，这是值得怀疑的。

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拯救濒危物种。印第安纳波利斯获奖者的野生动物保护经验。Shumaker, RW, 编辑。2020. 约翰霍普金斯大学出版社，美国马里兰州巴尔的摩 xiv+333 页。34.95 美元（精装）。ISBN 978-1-4214-3956-3。

这本书的作者——以及他们是一个多么星光熠熠的群体——被（可能）要求写下他们的早年生活，开始他们拯救濒危物种（具有标志性地位）的道路的动机，以及他们的道路的胜利和磨难。他们都献身于保护魅力非凡的物种，有时是在偏远地区，从马达加斯加的狐猴到蒙古的稀有有蹄类动物和世界各地的起重机（飞行类），并经常在恶劣的条件下度过很长时间。虽然他们都为保护生物多样性做了很多工作，但有些我宁愿远观，有些我更愿意进入这个领域。你会看到，热情的年轻博物学家一次又一次地转向筹款活动，其中一些作者非常关注这一点，以至于他们实际上写道，对于他们的（富有的）资助者。读者似乎并不总是很重要。唉，总体积因物种选择（大而有魅力的种类）、作者的国籍（主要来自美国）以及美国资金将拯救世界生物多样性的总体态度而有所偏差。如果这些不利因素被注意到，考虑到并得到解决，那么对于今天对大自然的未来感到痛苦的年轻人来说，这本可能是一本奇妙的鼓舞人心的书。尽管有上述狡辩，但这是一本有趣的书，其中有引人入胜的、有时几乎是忏悔式的叙述。金钱将拯救世界的生物多样性。如果能够注意到、考虑并解决这些危害，对于当今为自然的未来而苦恼的年轻人来说，这将是一本非常鼓舞人心的书。尽管有上述狡辩，但这是一本有趣的书，其中有引人入胜的、有时几乎是忏悔式的叙述。金钱将拯救世界的生物多样性。如果能够注意到、考虑并解决这些危害，对于当今为自然的未来而苦恼的年轻人来说，这将是一本非常鼓舞人心的书。尽管有上述狡辩，但这是一本有趣的书，其中有引人入胜的、有时几乎是忏悔式的叙述。

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秃鹫。一只无人爱鸟的私生活。Fallon, K. 2020。布兰代斯大学出版社，美国马萨诸塞州沃尔瑟姆，232 页。24.95 美元（平装本）。ISBN 978-1-68458-033-0。

火鸡秃鹰 ( Cathartes aura)) 是世界上研究得最好的秃鹰之一。因此，作者将它们描述为秃鹫的“代言人”，其中大多数受到威胁，其中一些受到严重威胁。通过跟踪土耳其秃鹰的生命周期，该卷将秃鹰的生物学知识和文化和历史方面精美地结合在一起，强调秃鹰在世界各地将死亡转化为生命。秃鹫提供的生态系统服务得到了很好且令人信服的强调。尽管该卷包含与一些重要消息相关的说明性照片，但本可以提供更多信息可视化和文本信息摘要。本书首先通过回顾丰富的生态、进化和保护研究，对秃鹰进行了一般性介绍。除了深刻的生态和进化讨论之外，这项工作还为秃鹫在古埃及、苏美尔和印地文化中的重要作用的文化历史评估提供了丰富多彩的见解。随后的章节重点介绍秃鹫的健康和康复、秃鹫在更新世期间食物网中的潜在作用，以及加州秃鹰的拯救和保护生态（Gymnogyps californianus )。最后一章提供了保护影响，建议改变我们的购买和旅行策略，这不仅对秃鹫保护很重要，而且对全世界范围广泛的猛禽也很重要。这本热情洋溢的书很好地证明了土耳其秃鹰是秃鹰的代言人，并为在瞬息万变的世界中进行猛禽研究指明了新的途径。这本书应该放在生态学家，鸟类学家和保护主义者的书架上。